Synthesis of radioactive dolichol from (4S-3H)mevalonate in the regenerating rat liver

The dolichol of rat liver was labelled by injecting [4S-(3)H]mevalonate, the precursor of cis-isoprene residues, into partially hepatectomized animals. The optimum conditions for labelling the dolichol were to inject the animals with radioactive mevalonate 48h after hepatectomy and to kill them 12h later. The concentration of radioactive dolichol was five times as great in regenerating rat liver as in normal liver. The highest concentration of radioactive dolichol was found in the crude mitochondrial and nuclear-debris fractions of the cell. The crude microsomal fractions also contained radioactive dolichol, but at a lower concentration.